Advent calendars don’t all have to be about cheap chocolate and cartoon characters. This year, greetings card company Hallmark have designed an advent calendar that contains much sweeter treats behind each window – festive tips, tempting recipes and lots of fantastic Christmas craft ideas, all waiting to be revealed!

The Hallmark advent calendar will launch on their website on December 1st, and each day until Christmas Eve a window will be opened to reveal that an exciting new piece of Christmassy content. We’ve had an exclusive peek behind the windows and can tell you that there are lots of inspiring seasonal recipes, handmade gift ideas and even Christmas make-up tips to discover, and each one will help you to make this Christmas one to truly remember.

Inspire the Kids Too

Most of the tips and ideas have been created with families in mind too. Behind the Hallmark advent calendar windows are cookie recipes that children can help to make, lots of delightful Christmas decoration ideas that will bring out the kids’ creative sides and even a great gift idea for grandparents that requires the little ones to let loose with a spot of finger painting! You’ll have to visit the Hallmark site every day in December to find out what’s behind each window, and make sure you don’t miss out on any of the festive fun.

There’s even some great nuggets of practical advice for Christmas to be found in the Hallmark advent calendar. If you’re not so hot at wrapping christmas gifts, or you tend to get a little frazzled on Christmas Eve as you prepare for the big day, then look out for some clever tips and even videos that you’re sure to find very helpful!

Of course, when you’ve visited the Hallmark advent calendar each day to open each window, you can take a look at their wonderful selection of Christmas greeting cards, including personalised cards, plus gifts for everyone on your Christmas list.

http://advent-calendar.hallmark.co.uk/

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It’s finally here, the day that we can announce the fantastically talented young winner of our Sketch Santa contest with ITV1’s Daybreak! Drum roll please….

Congratulations to six year-old Demi Holmes, from Warrington (Cheshire)! Demi was crowned the winner, live on air from her local Hallmark store, after beating 2,600 other Christmas card designs from 6-16 year olds across the UK. Her winning Christmas card design will  now join that of five celebrity creations to hit the shelves in our brand new and exclusive charity card pack, with proceeds going to the six charities for ITV1′s Text Santa charity appeal.

Joining designs from five famous faces and groups, including Gary Barlow, Tulisa, The Saturdays, Matthew Wolfenden and Daybreak presenters Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones, Demi’s artwork is available to buy NOW from Hallmark stores and www.hallmark.co.uk.  Costing from just £1.99 to buy, a minimum donation of 50p from each pack will go to the ‘Text Santa’ appeal.

Ebony Newton, Sketch Santa judge and Senior Designer at Hallmark, said: “The level of creativity we saw from the majority of entries was beyond our highest expectations. This competition just shows that we have a huge amount of design talent within our children nationwide which all parents should be extremely proud of, although it did make our jobs of judging a winner that much harder!

“I want to personally congratulate Demi on her fabulous design which is more than worthy of joining the celebrity designs in the pack. The winning artwork was chosen because it reflects the magical time that Christmas holds for children plus with the bright colours and great sponge effect it really stands out on the shelves.”

The Text Santa appeal is working on behalf of specially chosen charities offering life-changing services to vulnerable people throughout the UK. For 2012, the six chosen charities set to benefit from funds raised include, Age UK, Anthony Nolan, Carers UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Together for Short Lives and Whizz-Kidz.

Full further information, visit www.itv.com/textsanta or www.facebook.com/hallmarkuk to see behind the scenes news.

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For many, the festive season is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s when we take a break from work, spend quality time with our family and friends and show them just how much we care.  Unfortunately, due to the economic climate we might not be able to spend as much as we’d like this Christmas, but fear not, we’ve put together this short guide on how to make the most out of this Christmas without breaking the bank…

Stay in touch

If you’re not able to visit certain family members this festive period make sure you stay in touch. A great way to do this is the humble greetings card. This simple, traditional gesture will let your loved ones know that you’re thinking about them this Christmas, even if you don’t get to see them. This Christmas you can save money on your greetings cards with this Hallmark.co.uk voucher code,which entitles you to 25% off personalised cards.

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Make your own…

Christmas is the perfect time to get creative. There are so many products that people buy over the Christmas period that you could make yourself for a fraction of the price. Advent calendars are a prime example- make your own with some card and some miniature chocolates (or without if you haven’t got a sweet tooth).

Another item that is on near enough everyone’s Christmas shopping list is chocolates. Why not make your own truffles? For basic truffles you only need two ingredients; chocolate and cream. It’s then up to you how you flavour them. All you need is some quality dark chocolate, some whipping cream and whichever other ingredients tickle your fancy for flavour and decoration. Pop them in some festive boxes and use as gifts, or keep them in the fridge for the family.

Another fun and frugal activity for Christmas is to make your own decorations. Don’t spend a fortune on Christmas decorations, make your own.  All you need is some coloured paper or card, glue, scissors and some creativity. You could also buy a pack of plain baubles and some glitter pens and decorate them yourself for fun, personalised Christmas tree decorations.

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Secret Santa

If you have a large family or a large group of friends, why not do Secret Santa? This means that you won’t have to pay out for individual gifts which will save you time and a substantial amount of money. Draw names out of a hat and choose a spend limit that ensures that you can buy a good gift which is affordable. You can then organise a time which is suitable for everyone to exchange gifts, which is a fantastic excuse to get together for a festive catch-up.

Shop online

Does the thought of queuing up in packed shops fill you with dread? It might be time to start shopping online. Not only will you be able to shop from the comfort of your own home, you’ll save hours of your time, meaning you can spend it with your family instead. You’re also less likely to impulse buy like you would at the shops; there are no glittery displays to attract your attention, so you’re more inclined to stick to your list and not overspend.

Shopping online has other advantages too, such as getting your shopping delivered straight to your front door. You won’t have to carry heavy shopping bags around busy high streets. You can usually pick a time that’s good for you to get your shopping delivered too, making online shopping even more convenient.

Another advantage of online shopping is that you can make some fantastic savings. Many online retailers offer discount codes to use at the checkout which can get you money off your purchase, free delivery or a 2 for 1 offer.

Stay in

Christmas nights out can be expensive; not only do taxi fares and entrance fees increase but it’s likely to be very busy and not to mention frosty outside. Staying in is certainly the new going out and can cost next to nothing. Invite your family and friends to your house to watch Christmas films, play board games and get into the spirit of Christmas. With the new wave of movement sensitive games consoles like the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Move and the Xbox Kinect, there is hours of fun to be had by playing sing/dance-a-long, sports and puzzle games. These games are usually suitable for the whole family and can really give your big night in the edge.  Alternatively dig out the old family favourites like Monopoly, Cluedo or just a deck of playing cards and enjoy some traditional family-friendly entertainment.

Written by Rachael from the voucher codes team at MoneySupermarket.com.

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